The spirit teams are preparing to represent their school and perform various qualifying routines on the state floor. Participants from neighboring schools met up to compete at Marion High School on January 11. To start off the competition, Shanie May (12) performed a Solo to the song “Red” by Trifecta.  May has stated, “I was nervous to do it at first, but now I’m more confident! I feel like it expresses my personality.” May took seventh place with it being her first time competing in the Solo category. Tiffany Young (12) then performed a Flag Solo to “International Smile” by Katy Perry and finished in second.  Young has stated, ” I felt way more comfortable performing it at Marion than I did at Start the Beat because I had three extra months to improve what I needed. Even last year, I didn’t believe that I would build up enough courage to do a solo, but now I’m really close to qualifying for state! I’m looking forward to perfect what I was critiqued on so I can receive an improving score next time.” 

As a team, the Tigerettes competed in the AA ( Based on the number of kids that attend the school)  Hip Hop category and placed first with a qualifying score for state. They then performed their AA Pom routine which put them in first place for the Illinois Drill Team Association category and fifth place for the Illinois High School Association category.

The Flag team competed their AA Lyrical Flag routine and their AA Tall Flag routine against Marion. These girls placed first in both categories which kept their undefeated streak going. They also qualified both routines for the I.D.T.A. State competition in Springfield. While performing in the Tall Flag category, Young was selected to receive a Rising Star award for the outstanding showmanship, execution, and enthusiasm she had on the performance floor. 

After a long week of practice, the Tigerettes and Flag Team competed at Edwardsville High School on January 18. At this competition, the Flag Team competed their Lyrical and their Tall Flag routines against Marion. They placed first in the Lyrical Category and second in the Tall Flag category. The Tigerettes then performed their Hip Hop and Pom routines against Jersey. Not only did they place first in both categories, but they qualified their Pom routine for state. They also performed their Hip Hop routine for the I.H.S.A. category and placed 17th out of 22 teams. 

The spirit teams are currently improving their routines for upcoming competitions as well as preparing for the Pink Out basketball game. On February 2nd, Herrin High School will be hosting their third annual I.D.T.A competition. The girls will be competing against many teams such as, Marion, Dupo, and Carterville.  There, you will see the spirit squads progression over the season as well as Young and May’s solo routines. These girls would really appreciate a crowd full of classmates. The Flag and Dance Teams will be traveling to Springfield to compete in the I.D.T.A. State competition. They hope to bring home some first place trophies on February 15.